China Aviation Supplies Import & Export Corporation (CASC) has placed an order for 30 CFM56-7-powered Boeing 737 aircraft, scheduled for delivery between 2002 and 2005. The engine portion of the order is valued at approximately $300 million.
CFM56-7 engines are produced by CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs (Safran Group) of France and General Electric of the United States.
The new 737s, a mix of the -700 and -800 models, will go into service with China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines. The CASC conducts the civil aviation import and export business for the Chinese government under the auspices of the CAAC, the state council ministry responsible for national civil aviation affairs.
In commercial service, the CFM56-7-powered 737 has amassed an outstanding record. More than 900 aircraft have been delivered, and the fleet has logged more than nine million flight hours and 4.5 million flight cycles since entering service in early 1998. In addition, the fleet has achieved a 99.96 percent dispatch reliability rate and a 0.002 in-flight shutdown rate. More than 1,800 CFM56-7-powered 737s have been ordered to date, making it the fastest selling engine/aircraft combination in history.